The Groom Came C.o.d.

Bertie smiled. “You’re thinking of changing your mind about asking Melinda to go ahead with the retraction, aren’t you?”

“How did you know?” The way the woman was able to read him was beginning to make him nervous. Why hadn’t he left well enough alone and kept on going when he’d left the first time? Why had he given in to the urge to come back to explain himself to someone who was convinced fate was about to make him her nephew?

“By the way, Ms. Bertie, a moment ago you said you expected me to come back. How did you know I would change my mind?”

She answered his question with a question of her own. “You have come back, haven’t you?”

Ben took a deep swallow of coffee and studied his companion. Did the little park have some magical power that had worked on him? Had it been Bertie herself who had willed him back? He shook his head to clear it. No matter what she might believe about fate and destiny, he for one was living in a real world. He tried again.

“I have to tell you that when I found myself in the park across the street, the strangest feeling came over me, Ms. Bertie. Before I knew it, I found myself back at your door.” He shook his head in wonder. “I had the strongest feeling someone was sending me a message.”

She beamed at him as if he’d passed some kind of test. “I’m so pleased you feel this way. You see, when Melinda asked you to go along with the wedding, it was more than a matter of pride.” She slid the plate of cookies closer to him. “Here, have another cookie.”

“Thanks.” Years of Bertie’s famous cookies had turned him into a cookie addict. “Too bad you aren’t running a bakery instead of a bridal shop, Ms. Bertie.” He wouldn’t have been in such a mess. Bertie might be oblivious to the implications of Melinda’s wedding announcement, but it was his life they were talking about. “Go ahead.”

“The bridal shop is on the verge of bankruptcy,” Bertie began slowly, but he could see a hint of sadness in her eyes. Obviously, even guardian angels had human feelings. The knowledge that he might be adding to her unhappiness made him feel worse than ever.

“Melinda doesn’t think I know the financial status of the shop, but I do,” Bertie went on. “I couldn’t let on that I knew the truth. Not when she left a good position in San Francisco to come back to help me. Why,” she added proudly, “she’s even added a bridal referral service to make ends meet. It has been useful, but I’m afraid there aren’t enough interested brides in Ojai. Young women today aren’t interested in tradition. They go to a bigger city to shop.”

Ben stirred uncomfortably. “I’m truly sorry to hear that, Ms. Bertie. I remember my sisters telling me how helpful you were with their weddings.”

“Thank you, Benjamin, it’s kind of you to say so. The fact is that because of the state of my finances, Melinda is afraid any unusual or adverse publicity would hurt the little business I do have left. So you see, by asking you to go along with her, she was only trying to protect me.”

Now Ben really felt like a worm. If only Melinda’s make-believe wedding hadn’t involved him, he might even have thought the caper was amusing. Now, after hearing Bertie’s story, the picture was changing. The problem was more than Melinda’s pride—Bertie’s future was at stake. Damn!

As if sensing his mixed emotions, Bertie leaned over and patted his hand. “It’s not your fault Melinda’s fantasy went awry, dear boy. I believe that there’s another reason that prompted her to set her fantasy in motion.” Her blue eyes lightened as she gazed fondly at him. “I believe this is a moment to give you both a second chance to fulfill your destinies. Fate brought you two together.”

Ben felt shivers run up and down his spine. He was in between a rock and a hard place. He didn’t want to remarry, not yet. And certainly not after his earlier marriage had been such a sorry experience. There was also his uncle Joseph who was after him to marry and start a family. And women at the country club who seemed to be set on being his wife.

Maybe a make-believe marriage to Melinda Carey could be the answer.

Then, too, from what he understood, there was Bertie. She could lose everything she’d spent a lifetime working for.

He struggled for an answer, but one thing was clear. It was beginning to look as if he might be damned if he went through with the wedding and damned if he didn’t.

“Aunt Bertie! Ben! What’s going on?” Ben jumped to his feet as Melinda rushed into the room. Bertie calmly motioned him back to his seat. “I was just explaining the situation to Benjamin, dear.”

Melinda was horrified. To her, “situation” could mean only one thing. “Aunt Bertie, please tell me you didn’t!”

Her aunt’s guilty look was all the answer Melinda needed. She turned her gaze on the noncommittal look on Ben’s face. Her aunt not only knew the truth about her financial affairs, it looked as if she’d shared the information with him!

“What are you doing back here, Ben Howard? I’ve already agreed I would call Martha Ebbetts and retract my announcement, haven’t I? What more do you want?”

“Yes, well…” He seemed to struggle for an answer, but whatever he wanted to say wasn’t coming easily. “I was just about to say that maybe I was too hasty before. In fact, I’ve been thinking of changing my mind.”

Melinda stiffened her back. If this was a marriage proposal, she’d never heard a more reluctant one. “I can just imagine what my aunt told you. Well, let me set you straight. I don’t need your pity. My aunt and I have managed to get along until now, and we’ll get through this, too.”

“Maybe, maybe not,” Ben rejoined. He eyed her in a way that made her hormones snap to attention. “But before I commit myself, I have a few thoughts of my own about this marriage you’ve dreamed up. Maybe we can settle it to our mutual satisfaction.”

Mutual satisfaction? The only way she would be satisfied was if Ben Howard took himself out of her sight before she died of embarrassment. “I’ve just told you it’s not necessary.”

“Maybe so, but I think you at least owe me the chance to discuss it.”

Bertie rose. “Why don’t you and Benjamin talk things over quietly, dear. I have an errand or two to take care of.” She waved goodbye and glided out of the kitchen.

Ben eyed Melinda warily. He was determined to find a way to at least discuss his crazy ideas with her—for both their sakes. Too bad she didn’t look as if she were the compromising type.

He plunged in before she could start up again. “I wanted to explain why the wedding announcement riled me. Okay?” She nodded reluctantly. “The truth is I was married once—in college.”

Melinda held up her hand to stop him. “I’ve heard all about it. What does it have to do with me?”

“Only that the marriage lasted long enough for Annie and me to realize we were too young to know what we really wanted. When I told her I wanted to go on to grad school and study law, she announced she wasn’t willing to wait that long to have a life. The divorce came though the day we graduated.” He shrugged. “You might say it was a graduation present.”

“I still don’t see what this has to do with me.”

“I was just trying to explain why I reacted the way I did after I read the newspaper this morning.” He grinned sheepishly. “I guess you could say I’m allergic to marriage.”

“Great!” Melinda grimaced. Another allergic bridegroom! “All the more reason to forget this whole thing.”

Ben bit his lower lip. Hell, she was the one who started the mess, why was she so upset? Forget it? Fat chance. “I’m trying to tell you there’s a good reason why a temporary marriage between us might be a good idea.”

“A good idea?” If Ben had said Mars was hurtling its way toward Earth and would arrive in Ojai tomorrow, she wouldn’t have been more surprised. “Are you trying to tell me you want to get married now?”

“Yes, no…that is, maybe.” Ben gazed thoughtfully at his prospective bride. If he’d been looking for another wife, Melinda would certainly fit the bill. She was honest and loyal. She wasn’t greedy, either, or she would have jumped at the chance to be the wife of one of Ojai’s first families.

Luckily, there was more to admire in Melinda than her character. Her silky legs turned him on. Her womanly curves were pleasing. And so were her expressive green eyes and tossed blond hair.

She wore beige linen slacks and a matching silk blouse, pearls around her throat and at her ears. Definitely a class act. But the shorts and the sleeveless white shirt that left her midriff bare and the lush line of breasts exposed earlier had been a lot more interesting. If she’d been as attractive in high school as she was now, how could he have managed not to notice her?

If he put the facts together and threw caution to the wind, marrying Melinda could make sense. All he had to do was control his testosterone and remember he was planning on a marriage of convenience followed by a quiet annulment.

“If you don’t mind,” he began again, “I’d like to tell you something. It’s not easy for me to say, but I shouldn’t have lost my temper.”

Seemingly speechless, Melinda continued to stare at him. He didn’t blame her. He didn’t recognize himself in all of this, either. “If it’s okay with you, I’d like to apologize for the things I said earlier.”

Melinda nodded. Reluctantly, but he was relieved to see he had her grudging attention.

“So…maybe we ought to think about this marriage business.”

Melinda looked at him warily. “Wait a minute! Let me understand this. You’re suggesting we actually go through with a wedding ceremony?”

He shrugged. “Maybe.”

“I can’t believe this!” She let loose. “Either you do or you don’t. First you blow your stack and then you come back here to tell me that you’ve changed your mind. Let’s get this straight—do you want to get married or don’t you?”

“Sort of,” he murmured, caught between a rock and a hard place. “Something changed my mind and brought me back here. I’m just not sure what it was.”

How could he tell her what had turned him back when he hadn’t had a logical answer to account for it?

He tried to concentrate on the happy smile on Bertie’s face. And the way she’d waved at him before she disappeared through the kitchen door. A blessing?

All the more reason he had to go on record about the conditions of the forthcoming wedding—provided they ultimately decided to go through with it.

“There is one thing I’d like to put on the table.” Melinda stared at him silently. Good. After what he had to say, he wasn’t sure she wasn’t going to take things so quietly. “This so-called marriage thing—you didn’t intend it to be real. It was only a fantasy. Right?”

Melinda’s face turned pink. She nodded hesitantly.

“I hate to get personal,” he insisted, “but under the circumstances, I have to be sure you do understand what I’m talking about.”

Melinda’s face turned a deeper pink. “If you’re saying this is going to be a marriage of convenience, I never intended anything else. In fact,” she frowned, “the more I think of it, the more I know this would never work. We’d have to be crazy.”

Ben had the feeling he should have his head examined. Two hours ago he’d gone on record as being against a wedding of any kind and here he was trying to convince Melinda they should go for it. Strangely enough, even though she was giving him a chance to back out, he actually felt disappointed. “The truth is,” he blurted, “I might need a wife.”

“Might need a wife?”

If ever there was a time to admit the whole truth, this was it. “Yes. This might sound crazy, but my uncle has been after me to get married. For that matter,” he muttered darkly, “so have a lot of women.”

“Lucky you.” The look she gave him would have frozen an Eskimo. “Why pick me?”

How could he tell her mistake was opportune? That he sensed she could be trusted to “dissolve” the marriage when the right time came. That it might be convenient to have her as his “wife” for the duration. He managed a grin. “Maybe your timing was right. Or maybe your aunt was right about your ‘mistake.’ Maybe it was fate.”

Melinda considered Ben’s answer. Her aunt had talked about fate and destiny for so long, she was conditioned to believe it herself. At any rate, a mock-marriage, without a license, to a socially prominent man with connections might just be the ultimate answer to the lack of prospective brides. She didn’t have to feel she was using him. From what he’d said, the marriage would be to his advantage, too. “I’ll think about it.”

“Good, I’m glad we finally agree on something.” Ben settled back in his chair. “I think we should also settle a few important details while we’re at it. Okay?”

Melinda shrugged. “After the story you just told me, I can’t imagine what else is left to talk about. But go ahead.”

“I’ll supply the minister.”

She hesitated. “Actually, if I decide to go through with the wedding I was going to ask the Reverend Charles Good to conduct the ceremony. Charles is a good friend of Aunt Bertie’s.”

“A real minister?”

“Of course.”

“No way!” Ben rose and paced the kitchen floor. He counted off the squares in the brown and white linoleum until his frustration cooled. “I’m not going to take a chance on anything going wrong. I have a friend back in Boston who is a drama professor. Dex will fly out to do the honors if I ask him to. He’ll not only look and act like a real minister, there’s a plus.”

“What’s that,” she asked cautiously. “No one will ever see him again.”

“We can’t,” she protested. “It would break my aunt’s heart, and I’d feel like a fraud!”

His eyebrows rose. “Would you feel any differently if this friend of your aunt’s performed a mock-ceremony without a license?”

Melinda glanced down at her clenched hands. Her heart was breaking into little pieces. The dream she’d woven into her fantasy wedding was crumbling fast, and she didn’t know how to stop it. A platonic, temporary marriage with a man she’d yearned over for half of her life was the last thing she’d expected. How could she have gotten in so deep?

Ben cleared his throat. He’d never seen a more unhappy look on the face of a woman who had just gotten engaged. He’d have to make it up to her later. “Sorry. Tell the reverend I’m having a close college friend do the honors. Just be sure he doesn’t know the truth. What he and Ms. Bertie don’t know won’t hurt them.” He hesitated. “Oh, one more thing. I want you to take my photograph off that damn dating Web site before anyone else sees it!”

“I told you I had nothing to do with putting it on there!”

“I don’t care. If it’s not too late, see if you can get me off there before the whole town sees it.”

Chapter Three

Ben headed for his office wondering just what he’d talked himself into.

Built on to a side of the Oak Tree distillery, the office was a refuge where he could let the world, the telephone and the fax machine go by when he was so inclined. After his mind-boggling discussion with Melinda and her aunt, he was definitely inclined.

Shaded by the oak trees that surrounded the building, the office was cool and scented with the rich pungent aroma of fine fruit brandies that were Oak Tree’s specialty. On the other side of the office wall, the season’s fruit crop was being aged in oak casks until it was ready to be bottled. He took great pride in knowing that the brandies carrying the Oak Tree name were the among the finest dessert liquors on the West Coast. Maybe, in the world.

Educated as a lawyer, he’d quickly discovered practicing law wasn’t for him. For an innovative thinker like him, the law had turned out to be more about precedent than creativity. He’d realized he needed to create something tangible. That had translated into utilizing the bountiful fruit orchards on Howard family land. Happily, with his uncle’s agreement, the Oak Tree Distillery had been the answer.

He dropped into his well-worn leather chair, stared at the telephone and willed it not to ring. He needed time to pull his thoughts together, to make sense of the day’s events—if there was anything sensible about it.

What really worried him was what his uncle would think when he saw the wedding announcement in the morning newspaper. A no-nonsense, dignified man with high standards, as well as an upholder of tradition, Uncle Joseph was bound to have questions. Who wouldn’t? He had some himself.

He knew it was too late to worry when his uncle strolled into his office unannounced, the morning’s newspaper in his hand. At sixty-five, he still carried himself with dignity. So much so, no one thought to shorten his name to Joe. Not even him. In white linen slacks, light blue shirt and dark blue jacket, he looked every inch the wealthy owner of vast real estate holdings in and around Ojai. Ben took one look at the purposeful look in his uncle’s eyes, uttered a silent prayer and rose to greet him.

“Believe it or not, Uncle Joseph, I was just thinking about you.”

“Glad to hear it, my boy. I’ve been thinking about you, too.” He tossed the folded newspaper on to Ben’s desk. “I knew it was long past time for you to get married again,” his uncle commented dryly, “but did you have to keep your engagement a secret?”

Ben laughed. He hoped the laugh didn’t sound as hollow to his uncle as it did to him. “Guess you could say it happened before I knew it myself.”

“You don’t say?” His uncle dropped into a chair, crossed his legs and looked more serious than ever. A signal that trouble was coming if there ever was one. “I wonder if the story I heard at the country club this morning could also be true?”

Ben’s heart began to race. He glanced at the newspaper. Since the wedding announcement didn’t seem to have shaken his uncle, there had to be something else bothering him. “What story was that, sir?”

The answer was swift and succinct. “I find it difficult to believe, but I was told your photograph appears on an Internet Web site dating service.”

Confronted by the hole someone had dug for him, Ben froze. He’d been right. It had been too late. How in the hell was he supposed to explain what was, according to Melinda, unexplainable?

His uncle went on. “I can see from your reaction the story is true. Do you mind telling me why, if you knew Melinda Carey well enough to ask her to marry you, why you were appearing on a dating service Web site?” While Ben searched for an plausible answer, any answer, his uncle continued. “Unless, of course, that was how the two of you met?”

“Not exactly, sir. That is, the photograph is a mistake!”

“I would hope so. And the wedding announcement? Is that a mistake, too?”

“No.” From the set look on his uncle’s face, Ben knew better than to confess he was having second thoughts about marrying Melinda. Or to announce the wedding might still be in an iffy stage. “It’s a long story, sir, but you’ll have to trust me. I believe the photograph on the Internet was intended as a joke. I’ve taken steps to rectify it. You have my word.”

“Good, the sooner the better.” His uncle motioned to the newspaper, folded open to the society section. “I’m glad to see you’re marrying Bertie Blanchard’s niece. Good family, good stock. Although Ms. Bertie tends to sometimes sound a little unconventional.”

Ben thought of fate and destiny. “Unconventional” was being polite. “You know the lady?”

“Who doesn’t?” his uncle replied. His expression softened, a smile crinkled at the corners of his eyes. “She’s a fine, highly respected woman. I knew her years ago and I have a great deal of admiration for her now. You could do a lot worse than marry her niece.”

Relieved, Ben mentally crossed his fingers and prayed his uncle would never get wind of the truth. “Glad you feel that way. Did you come to congratulate me, or did you have something else on your mind besides the photograph?”

Ben searched his conscience when his uncle nodded. Outside of Melinda and her fantasy wedding, he was clean.

“Yes to both questions. As a matter of fact, I’d been meaning to talk to you soon.”

“About?”

“The future of the ranch and the distillery.” His uncle’s thoughtful gaze rested on Ben.

Relieved at the change in subject, Ben pushed the newspaper aside. “Sure. The orchards are in fine shape; producing healthy fruit right on schedule. What we haven’t raised, we’ve imported. The distillery and its crew are doing great, too. In fact, the last batches of fruit brandies we bottled were perfect.”

His uncle steepled his hands and continued to study Ben. “As is the family reputation, my boy.”

Ben stirred uneasily. The message was clear; he was expected to keep that reputation intact. And he would—that is, if he could with Melinda and her fantasies. “The Howard legacy and reputation are just as dear to me as they are to you, Uncle Joseph.”

“Good. Then we understand each other. Simply put,” his uncle went on, “you might be interested to know I’ve been considering retiring soon. I’d planned on gifting you with the ranch the day you married. The distillery, too, if you wanted to keep it going.” His uncle paused to let the importance of his announcement sink in. “I was just about to give up on you and make other plans when I saw the wedding announcement in this morning’s paper.” He fixed Ben with a telling stare.

Ben tried a smile. He was afraid to ask just what his uncle had intended to do with the properties if Melinda hadn’t put her fantasy wedding into motion. His uncle’s announcement might have come as a surprise, but Ben was in no condition to inquire what alternative his uncle had had in mind. On the other hand, maybe the announcement was a ploy to move Ben in the direction his uncle wanted. Either way, it was sink or swim. “No problem, Uncle Joseph.”

A childless widower, his uncle had helped finance Ben’s education. After graduation from grad school, he’d invited him to return to Ojai to help manage the Howard ranch and fruit orchards. With the vast ranch practically running itself, Ben had suggested and started a new gourmet fruit brandy distillery as a sideline. Both the ranch and the distillery had prospered. So if it wasn’t money his uncle was referring to, maybe it was time to face up to what he owed to the family legacy.

Come hell or high water, he intended to keep that legacy proud and intact. But what he wanted most of all was his uncle’s respect. He didn’t have a choice, Melinda had made up his mind for him. His unexplainable decision to marry her would answer one of his uncle’s concerns—the family’s reputation. Married, the future of its real estate holdings would be taken care of rather than be sold to some stranger.

One thought led to another. After all, he and Melinda had a lot in common. Each of them had bonded with a close relative other than their parents. He didn’t know where Melinda’s folks were, but his had been lost forever on a holiday during an unexpected Caribbean hurricane. Whatever he was was due to his uncle’s devotion. He owed him more than money could repay. It was pay-up time.

As for Melinda…Whatever was the basis for her close relationship with her aunt, it was touching and real. The two appeared to be harmless romantics. At least, they had been until now. To make them the laughing stock of Ojai was out of the question.

Another reason he had to go through with the make-believe marriage.

“And the photograph on the Internet, Benjamin? You won’t forget to take care of that right away?”

Of course, the photograph on the Internet! Ben didn’t intend to give up until he found the culprit. If Melinda wasn’t behind it, someone was. And that someone was going to answer to him.

“Look, Uncle Joseph. I’ve told you that photograph has to be someone’s idea of a joke. I don’t want to sound like a conceited ass, but you know me well enough to know I don’t need to advertise to find a date!”

“True,” his uncle agreed with a faint smile. “You do have quite a reputation where the ladies are concerned. In fact, I’ve known about it for too long a time.” His smile faded. “All the more reason for you to settle down, accept your responsibilities. Starting the distillery is fine, but it’s time to get on with marrying again. Don’t forget, it’s up to you to carry on the Howard name.”